WORDS
Joanne Glasbey
Piaget has unveiled a new perpetual calendar and it’s the ultimate combination of an haute horlogerie complication with an everyday metal. The Polo, Piaget’s sportiest steel timepiece, has been fitted with a perpetual calendar and a new ultra-thin calibre, the 1255P. The Polo Perpetual Extraleganza, to give it its proper name, is a gorgeous looking piece. Part of the Polo’s design language has been the shape within the shape – circular case, with a cushion-shaped bezel and dial. The addition of the perpetual calendar sub dials for the dates, days, months and leap years, and moon phases, brings another layer of shapes into the mix, creating a sense of being mesmerically drawn into the verdant green dial, on which the light plays across the different finishings.
Turn it over and there’s even more to delight. Powering the Polo is the new 1255P. This is based on the super-thin 1200P (2.35mm thin to be precise) to which Piaget has added a perpetual calendar with moon phase function; an addition that has only added 1.65mm to the height. The entire 42mm watch case is just 8.65mm thin, making it ideal for slipping under a cuff, whether in starched cotton or soft marl. Despite the haute complication, this timepiece is designed for modern life; there is practicality in this perpetual calendar. The indexes are filled with Super-LumiNova and there is the option of a complementary steel bracelet, featuring the gadroons that were a style signature of the 1979 original, or a rubber version. Both can be easily interchanged thanks to Piaget’s effortless SingleTouch system and, once the calendar functions are set, you won’t need to make any changes until 2100. The amount of information needed for these types of calendar watches can often make dials feel hectic and messy. Piaget’s new Polo plays with perception, devising a dial that feels calm and uncluttered. If only all things in life could be like that.
£53,000; piaget.com